NCAAW: JuJu Watkins, USC challenge UCLA in the battle for LA

February 13, 2025

in WNBA

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This is the game all Big Ten aficionados have been waiting for. We have the No. 1 UCLA Bruins facing the No. 6 USC Trojans in a B1G LA showdown.

This marquee matchup begins at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 13 and can be viewed on Peacock. While both teams are local, they will be in Trojan territory, with the contest taking place inside a sold-out Galen Center.

How USC can win

The Trojans will be at home, but they will be underdogs against the Bruins. UCLA is unbeaten, and in winning 23 games, they have beaten top teams like South Carolina, Ohio State and Maryland.

To defeat the undefeated, USC will have to slow down Lauren Betts as much as possible. The Bruins’ junior center is averaging 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The best way to diminish her impact is by denying her the ball as much as possible. That means fronting her, getting her out of position and keeping her off the glass. Easier said than done, but that’s the job on Thursday night.

JuJu Watkins, the Trojans’ sophomore sensation, has struggled recently, scoring less than 20 points in her last two games. USC will need her at her best to win. She probably needs to produce 30-plus points to give her team a chance to pull off the upset.

It’s not just the Watkins show, however. Kiki Iriafen and Kennedy Smith will also have to bring their best against UCLA. The senior Iriafen has been on top of her game, and so has the freshman Smith, and if they continue that on Thursday, USC will have put themselves back in position to win the Big Ten championship.

How UCLA can win

Just because UCLA hasn’t lost doesn’t mean a win should be assumed.

USC not only will be at home, but also has the kind of players that can get hot and overwhelm a defense. The Bruins have to establish Betts early and often in this one. UCLA has a clear mismatch inside, and it’d be best to exploit it and make USC prove they can stop Betts from scoring at will.

On the perimeter, juniors Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez are averaging double figures, and they’ll need that scoring to ramp up if they want to keep up with USC’s explosive offense—the Trojans average 83.2 points per game, which is the eighth-highest average in the nation.

The rebounding battle should go in UCLA’s favor. They average 45 rebounds per game, and only Troy, LSU and Oklahoma grab more boards.

All season long, UCLA has been the cream of the crop in the Big Ten. USC presents their biggest test yet, and if they pass, the path toward the conference title is suddenly smooth. A loss would make that a much bumpier ride. Let’s see if UCLA comes out on top or if USC prevails in the latest installation of this inner-city rivalry.